A dolphin that washed up on a Florida beach was found to have been stabbed to death in a sick marine murder that investigators are now trying to solve, wildlife officials said.
Beachgoers discovered the remains of the female bottlenose dolphin with a gory gash above its right eye late last month along the shoreline in Fort Meyers, Fla.
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted a necropsy on the mammal and determined that it had been impaled with a spear-like object.
The injury was sustained while it was alive, officials said.
The agency said the dolphin was likely being illegally fed in a semi-upright position before being stabbed.
“Based on the shape, size and characteristics of the wound, it is suspected that the dolphin was impaled while in a begging position,” the NOAA said. “Begging is not a natural behavior for dolphins and is frequently associated with illegal feeding.
Officials took a troubling picture of the lifeless creature that showed a large cut on the right side of its skull.
Harming or killing wild dolphins is prohibited under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and violators face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Local law enforcement is probing the incident.
nypost.com
